Its been over a year since I installed the Isotherm Cruise 219 in my RV. I just completed a 3 week trip out west and I thought it would be a good time to record some thoughts. So here, in random order, is what I learned so far: Refrigerator Drainage I originally totally missed the […]
I’ve had a Globalstar GSP-1700 sat phone for a long time. Globalstar has a tortured history. Once a great service, it experienced some satellite failures and the service went to hell. It was so bad that to get the phone to work you had to consult a chart for when the next working satellite would […]
Finally! TPMS. And no, you don’t need to install Borg stems! Here is the background: Many people buy DIY TPMS off the Internet, and have their stems crack on the way home or after a short trip. The reason is usually due to either a rubber valve stem, or more often, a dually valve stem […]
My RV came with a propane regulator (Fairview) known for early failures, and sure enough, like clockwork, it failed before 2 years passed. The symptom was propane smell around the rear of the RV; but others report a reduced gas pressure as the first sign. Actually now that I think about it it may have […]
A while back I bought an RV refrigerator temperature monitor. That actually worked quite well, and was cheap and reliable. But, I’m always wanting more! The old monitor would record the high and low between resets, and the current temperature, but that was about it. With my new RV compressor refrigerator, I’m wanting more information. […]
Many people who have switched to Lithium, particularly with more than 200 AH of capacity, have installed a DC-DC charger. But I am not quite ready. They steal some of the efficiency, have relatively low output, require a big chunk of mounting real estate near the battery, and its another item to break and ruin […]
I previously installed a Cradlepoint IBR900 Router. I was reasonably satisfied with it. It wasn’t a perfect experience though. The registration process (required to manage remotely) was chaotic and took numerous calls and trouble tickets to be resolved. It immediately started crashing due to router bugs. Again, resolved through support tickets. It was a firmware […]
This is one of those super trivial upgrades that I almost didn’t write up, except its really useful. My Unity CB had a dual USB socket behind the drivers seat. That was useful. My security cam stays plugged in there. But I really wanted a cigarette lighter plug there as well. I have a backup […]
Just like clockwork, after about two years of ownership I noticed my alternator stopped charging my batteries reliably. Its always a little unreliable on my Lithium batteries. (I count on the solar to top them off.) But in this case the alternator completely stopped charging. (Although sometimes it would). From posts on the internet I […]
When I ordered my RV I made the big mistake of ordering it with 400 watts solar, a costly option. It made sense as it was the most you could get and LTV must install the best, right? Well as I learned in time it was actually awful. The solar controller was a cheap PWM […]
Stuff happens, and just about anybody who travels in an RV extensively will have refrigerator problems sooner or later. Or maybe you just want a truly tiny refrigerator you can use just about anywhere. In my case, it was a refrigerator failure. While waiting for parts I needed something to keep some minimal items cold. […]
Santee SC is pretty nice as state parks go. Its convenient to 95, full hookups (better to have AC in the steaming July heat), and water and hiking activities. But this was just a quick stopover for us. We did a few miles on the trail but in the July inferno and rain that was […]
Update September 2021 – Looks like they have a nicer 12″model now, which is similar but has some new goodies including gps. See links at bottom for the new model. For my RV (and most others unless you have a really small van) the rear view mirror is useless. Mine shows a view of my […]
The best way to describe the Venus GX is remote control. It will basically export all your Victron devices to the internet, assuming you have either a router or hotspot in your RV. There are two main reasons i wanted this. First, while the RV is being stored, I can keep an eye on its […]
Its like a domino. Each thing I kick in the RV causes some new deficiency to be noticed, that either wasn’t there before or had escaped my attention. After all my upgrades I noticed that the stock Magnum inverter/charger doesn’t work well on lithium. It sorta works much of the time, but on generator instead […]
(Pictured on the left is the original Dometic refrigerator. On the right is my replacement.) My RV came with an industry standard Dometic refrigerator. I won’t spend a lot of time on the deficiencies as they are well known. The technology has some great advantages. You can run them on propane or electric, and this […]
So this is one of those newfangled devices that you have to stop and explain as it didn’t exist just a year or two ago. It’s a Lithium “generator”, meaning it works like a portable generator only it uses a battery instead of gas. They haven’t made huge inroads yet, because for a homeowner a […]
This comes up online so often online that arguably its comparable to, “Cats or Dogs?” But not really. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages, so its worth considering what you plan to do with it. Its important to understand that RV diesel generators are not the same thing as the legendary commercial diesel generators […]
My new RV came with what I thought was pretty good solar. Only as I learned, it was just fair. There are 4 main issues: I can always use more. My van came with 400 watts of solar. 600 would be nicer. The GoPower Flex panels, as I learned, are a bit yucky. The biggest […]
Once in a while something comes along that really is a good deal, and this is it! Visible.com is a new kind of phone service that uses Verizon towers for an ultra cheap $25 a month, no taxes or fees. Note to get the $25 a month discount you have to join a so called […]
So it turns out many RVs (and for sure our Sprinter) have pretty massive “vampire” loads. If you park my van, even for a fairly short period (say 10 days) you could come back to a battery that’s depleted. That’s because the house charger will not charge the chassis battery from AC, and the chassis […]
At first I really intended to keep the crummy flooded lead acid batteries that came with my coach. They need to have water added every month, only have about 110 Amp-Hours (for 2, because you can only discharge them 50% if that before damaging). They weigh 60-70 pounds each. In spite of all that, they […]
Sooner or later you’ll need a water jug while camping. For instance while camping at Yellowstone with no hookups we occasionally used the nearby spigot to top off the fresh water tank without moving. Most of the time though, its unneeded so this was the perfect solution. It stays folded 99% of the time and […]
We don’t use a table or chairs a whole lot. But from time to time we will sit outside and have a snack or wine. I wanted a table that takes up next-to-nothing in space when not in use, and this really fit the bill. The top and legs roll up into a tiny case […]
Look Ma no plug! When you travel in a 25 foot RV, real estate is scarce. We previously had a small toaster oven. But even that little guy required a generator start and had to be stowed in an outside department. So back to the stone age. This little thing makes great toast in 30 […]
So, I will be replacing my refrigerator with a compressor refrigerator (more on that soon). The first step in doing that is to expand the battery life by going Lithium (more on that even sooner!). Which leads me to the Magnum Energy ME-RC50 Remote Control. Turns out my RV comes with a crappy remote control […]
We learned quickly that Bottled water is an unwanted and expensive chore. We are water bigots and at home drink RO (Reverse Osmosis) or bottled water to get rid of chlorine or other chemicals But then we realized we already have double filtration in the the RV (house filter + external hose mounted filter) so […]
One of my gripes about by new RV is that it came with a junk Jensen DVD player. I call it junk because, seriously , a DVD player in 2019? No Blu-Ray? It’s hard to understand why a garbage product like the Jensen exists. At the wholesale level a raw Blu-Ray device probably costs less […]
I quickly learned that RV refrigerators REALLY suck. I already knew that my spare refrigerator at home in my garage in Florida suffered in the 90 degrees + heat. But what I didn’t know is that RV refrigerators use a different technology than a home compressor fridge. In a nutshell, the freezer is generally marginally […]
I wanted an interior security camera for a couple reasons. Mostly, it’s just sort of a “last ditch” security device. It’s not going to stop a thief from breaking in, but may help you to extract some measure of revenge by getting a good video of the deed. Could be useful, either to help catch […]
Ok this is an absurdly simple item, hardly even worth mentioning… I learned of it while watching the YouTube channel “HoboTech”. This chronicles some middle age guy who gives up his dayjob, converts an old RoadTrek, and travels the country. In between, he offers a lot of great tips for the DIYer. So one of […]
UPDATE 21-Feb-2021 The Cradlepoint worked well but I put in a new router and antenna. This article is still mostly relevant for drilling the roof and installing in general. We travel in our RV to get away from the city, and enjoy remote places. That said, I have a job, and I need to be […]
Sooner or later, if you have an RV, you are going to discover that some of the nicest places you would want to camp don’t have any cell service. None. Nada. Now, some people might think that’s just fine. But I have a job, and can take emergency calls round the clock, even on vacation. […]
This weekend, we finally will be taking a short trip where we will be “off the grid” for a few days. This is partly by design – in Florida you cannot really sleep in an RV in the summer without AC! So it occurred to me, that we will have literally no clue how the […]
My Sprinter RV (2019 LTV Unity CB) came with a basic radio and Becker Map Pilot. So to be honest, I only turned it on once. I’m a technology bigot, and as soon as I saw the decades old interface and the lack of any modern features I switched it back off. To be fair, […]
Being new to RVing, all I knew about dump tanks was summed up in movies like Christmas Vacation or RV. I almost skipped getting an RV entirely, over the potential disasters that await. Oh, did I say I was kinda squeamish about this? Back in the day I had a (very) small yacht. It had […]
When I ordered my 2019 Unity CB I had a lot of time to think about it. It took a full year to build and deliver, so I had plenty of time to start stocking up on the stuff I would be needing to make our eventual grand tour of the USA. And stock up […]
My very first RV purchase once we finally received ours (the 2019 Leisure Travel Corner Bed was one year on order) was an air compressor. I think it’s the most essential RV accessory. A couple reasons. First, maintaining proper air pressure is extremely important. It will have an effect on the safety, handling, and tire […]
Update: Jan 2, 2018 Thanks Google! I didn’t think much when I posted this, but this page has been showing up in Google searches for terms like “rv bidet” and the like, actually becoming #1! Turns out a lot of people like having a clean time in the bathroom. One question I get a lot […]